If there’s one thing Jason Aldean knows like the back of his hand, it’s the road. With nearly two decades of touring under his belt, the country superstar has played everywhere, and this week, he’s bringing those stories (and a few surprises) to Backstage Country. From May 26 to 30, Aldean steps in as co-host alongside Elaina Smith, giving fans an all-access pass to what it’s really like to live life on tour.
Jason Aldean on Picking People to Take on Tour
Smith asked Aldean how he decides who to take on tours. The “Hicktown” singer chuckled, “Obviously, I'm gonna pick people to take on tour that are gonna help us out on the road. The people that I think fans are gonna wanna come and see their show, and it's gonna bring something to the table. So, I'll kind of bounce some ideas off of her in this case with Rae Lynn. I was like, yep, you're gonna have a buddy out there this year.”
He added, “We’ve had Lauren Alaina out, who's a really good friend of ours and the family. When it works out like that, it's really cool for her because it gives her somebody to hang out with instead of it being kind of an all-boys club. So, it's cool. I love having people out there that I genuinely like hanging out with, which is cool. I love Brooks & Dunn. They were one of my musical heroes growing up and spent a lot of time playing their songs and had a chance to tour with them back in the day before we started headlining our own shows.”
He also admitted how honored he is to be put in the same category as Brooks & Dunn: “Any time I get a chance to work with them, it's an honor for me. And something that I really look forward to and kind of become a fan.” He chuckled, “I go watch their show and then I have to switch hats and go, 'All right it's my turn to go play and do my thing.' It’s really fun.”
On Making Video Content During Tours
Aldean also revealed how amazed he is at how video content is now made: “The things they can do with that now are insane! It can make it look like you're playing in a little nightclub somewhere. You can make it look like you're playing in a wheat field with a tractor running through it, or like a warehouse. Whatever it is, there's a lot of cool ways to kind of just change up visually the show. I think that's a big part of what we do every year.”
